a journal of analysis and comment
advancing public understanding of religion and education
(more on the Journal)

Spring 2007
Vol. 34 No. 2

Planning for Change in Christian Colleges:

Learnings from PTEV

Sarah Birmingham Drummond

The Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation
(PTEV), an initiative of the Lilly Endowment, Inc., have attracted the attention
of many parties interested in higher education in historically Christian
colleges and universities. Through a grant program, the Lilly Endowment has
awarded $176.2 million over four years to colleges that devise creative means
for engaging campus communities around the theological concept of vocation. The
total amount granted was spread out among 88 schools that received funding, as
well as an additional 11 schools which received planning grants of $50 thousand
but were not awarded implementation grants of $1 million or more. The dollar
amount is remarkably high by any standard, but is especially notable considering
the financial struggles of many of the Christian colleges who were successful in
garnering funds.

The amount of money associated with the program is only one
reason for which leaders in Christian colleges are paying attention to the PTEV.
As one can see from the article which appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of this
journal entitled "Evoke: Remembering an Institutionís Mission Through
Soulful Renewal," PTEV satellite programs are catalyzing institutional
change.

1 Through creating
programming around a theological concept especially relevant to the college
experience, PTEV programs are helping Christian colleges to reconnect with their
sectarian roots. This article will explore the nature of that change by focusing
upon how institutions mapped out their programs.

This article will present some key findings from a case study on the planning
processes that brought about the creation of PTEV programs on three different
campuses. Through examining those three planning processes, the article will
describe lessons learned from the PTEV about the nature of planning for change
in Christian colleges.

Background

In May of 1999, the Lilly Endowment, Inc., a large private
foundation connected with Eli Lilly & Company, launched a grants initiative.
The Lilly Endowment has a history of supporting programs in higher education and
has recently focused on helping Christian colleges to reconnect with their
particular religious traditions. The program it created in 1999 aimed to
encourage conversation on traditionally Christian college campuses about the
meaning of vocation.

The purpose of the PTEV is to help Christian colleges to
create programs that bring vocation to the center of institutional discourse. It
seeks to infuse curricula, campuses, and chapels with a sense of commitment to
seeking and following Godís call. Lilly Endowment officials offer neither
caveats nor disclaimers when they say that the program intends to bring about
fundamental changes in the ways in which Christian colleges educate students.

One reads on the PTEV Web site that each grant recipient
school has been given the freedom to design vocational discernment programs that
suit their unique histories and campus cultures. Program goals include affording
exploration opportunities to students discerning a sense of calling to Christian
ministry, but overall program objectives are more comprehensive. They point to a
need for young men and women to be encouraged to discern Godís call as they
make life choices typical of the college years: career, values, and
relationships. Some of the activities supported by PTEV grants include
"Incorporating the theological exploration of vocation into courses or
campus experiences," "Developing or strengthening campus-ministry
programs," and "Establishing faith and learning centers or
institutes".2

In 2005, the author of this article conducted a case study on the planning
processes that led to the creation of PTEV programs on three different campuses.
Because the PTEV framework is intended to be adaptable across diverse
institutions, the author investigated the ways in which schools took advantage
of this freedom and created programs that reflected their institutionsí
cultures and needs.